The majority of the funding was provided by two fantastic legacies which meant we could focus on raising the funds needed to equip our fantastic new facilities and the Camvet Campaign was launched!

With your help ALL of the consulting rooms have been furnished and we have the shelves in the clinical skills centre full of weird and wonderful interactive teaching equipment. Your donations have helped to provide everything from suturing pads through to examining tables.

Where possible we have used second hand kit for the clinical skills centre and if you are involved in a veterinary practice and are about to replace some equipment please let us know!

Officially opened in January 2015, the Pauline Brown Clinical Skills Teaching Centre is set to revolutionise the way elements of the veterinary medicine curriculum is delivered by providing a stress free environment for students to rehearse practical skills that they have been introduced to in the lecture theatre.

A life-size fibre glass horse, alongside a menagerie of replica dogs, cats and rabbits fill the main teaching area, alongside an ever-changing cycle of diagnostic, surgical and anatomical models and instruments. Various zones have been designed to replicate real environments alongside a radiography suite and consulting room. Other permanent fixtures include a scrub area, theatre table and the haptic cow/horse – a computer simulation programme which replicates various anatomical procedures. The atmosphere in the Centre is buzzing with students turning their hand to suturing, positioning mannequins for x-ray, taking blood, peering down ophthalmoscopes plus a whole gamut of other practical scenarios.

Although there are plans to allow pre-clinical students access to the Centre, currently supervised sessions start in the 4th year. The idea being to provide practical experiences that bring lecture notes to life whilst ensuring they are delivered at the appropriate level. As the students’ progress through the curriculum, so they will have access to increasingly complex exercises. And should any of them want some additional practice time, the Centre is always open.

Working alongside teaching colleagues in the Department, Dr Jackie Brearley (Head of Clinical Skills) and Catherine Wager (Clinical Skills Centre Facilitator) dovetail the sessions with rotations and lectures to ensure the skills gained can be put into context. Indeed, by the end of the 5th year all the skills covered should be so automatic allowing the students to concentrate on more complex skills during their EMS and rotations.

Can we ask that before throwing away any unwanted instruments or equipment, that you get in contact with us (cw619@cam.ac.uk) – we can even make good use of surgical instruments which are slightly faulty for instrument identification and handling practice. Thank you!

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